Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2009 | Page 114

life

FOOD & DRINK

happens there.
Beer is very expensive
nowadays and this has limited
the amount of time people
spend in pubs, however the Ale
& Oyster have addressed this
by serving the cheapest pint on
the seafront.
Their beer may be the
cheapest but the food is not.
However this is not a criticism
because you cannot expect
good food on the cheap. As
it was sunny and we were by
the sea we ordered a Seafood
Platter. Priced at £60 (for two)
I think they must of dredged
the bay and placed it on a
platter. The whole platter was
served on a bed of ice and
consisted of a whole Velvet
Crab, Whole Lobster, Whelks,
Winkles, Whole Crevettes,
Prawns and Oysters. You got
two wedges of fresh bread and
an array of instruments to
dissect the dish, which took
approx 40min, great for the
digestion system!
The rest of the menu is
based around fish but there
are other dishes on the menu
which would wet my appetite.
For a light lunch they have
Sandwiches and Baguettes
ranging from £5.25 for Ham
& Grain Mustard to £6.95 for
Fresh Local Crab.
Lunch offers dishes such as
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with
Mustard Sauce £13.95, 1/2
Whole Lobster Thermidor
£16.95.
There are also various Salads

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priced from £8.95 to £16.95
for Seared King Scallops with
Crispy Bacon.
The evening menu has the
same look & feel as the lunch
menu with some slight changes.
Starters are offered from
£4.95 for Marinated Olives
with Feta Cheese to £9.95 for
six Oysters served on a bed of
ice.
Main courses range from
£12.95 for Whole Fresh Local
Crab Salad to I.O.W Fillet
Steak £17.95. Desserts range
from £4.50 to £5.25 for a
selection of Cheese & Biscuits.
Would we recommend it?
Yes, however we did only have
a Seafood Platter, so we are
paying another visit to try
perhaps the Pork Tenderloins
and the Steak, but looking
around at other diners and
what they were eating I think
I am pretty safe to recommend
popping down to the Ale &
Oyster.
The food looked great and the
portions weren't huge, but they
weren't measly. Presentation of
the food looked amazing with
the Scallops and Bacon served
on black plates so the colours
really stand out.
I will be going back in the
evening and I suggest that our
readers give the Ale & Oyster
a visit, it's quite exciting that
we have what appears to be
another good eating place on
the Isle of Wight. Tel: 01983
855674

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